Tag: Travel photography

This is a quick post on my recent travels to Hong Kong and my experiences while exploring this urban jungle. Known for its dense urban environment, hidden alleys, tight laneways and busy streets, it is obvious why Hong Kong is a haven for street photography. I traveled with my wife and together we visited a close friend of ours who was also kind enough to take some time from his busy schedule to take us around and point out some hot spots in Hong Kong.

I’ll be honest and say that I was reluctant to bring my zoom lens (16-55mm f2.8) and instead use the two primes (14mm & 27mm) however as it turns out I found myself reaching for the zoom lens a majority of the time. Given that both the primes had the same aperture of f2.8 and that the zoom lens only looses 2mm over the 14mm and combined with the weather resistance seals, it was obvious that the 16-55mm was more suited for the streets of Hong Kong as well as its unpredictable weather (similar to Melbourne). Despite the hefty weight behind the 16-55mm, the versatility and weather resistance outweighed this and there were a few occasions where I found myself shooting in light drizzle and just knowing that I can continue shooting without worrying about my gear is a great feeling.

One thing to be mindful when traveling to places like Bali is the humidity level. The humid environment will easily fog up your lens unless you exercise some precautions. Although the X-T1 is weather resistant I noticed that the on/off switch would stiffen up making it difficult to switch it to the on position.

On this trip, I only had 3 lenses with me however whenever I’m out shooting the streets I ever only select one and leave rest behind. It’s difficult to do I know but what usually happens when you’re carrying multiple lenses is the urge to change lens, when you see something unique your brain will automatically start telling you things like “oh that would look good with an ultra-wide angle lens”. Not only is it going to add to the weight you’re carrying around but in humid conditions such as Bali, changing lens will risk trapping moisture between the sensor and the rear element of the lens which increases the chances of fungus.